The NCAA men’s Division II tournament is in full swing, and after this week’s quarterfinals, we are on to the semis.
The end of a legacy, the beginning of another. Two NE-10 teams emerging victorious and a spicy Spartan soiree are all on tap for this week’s postseason roundup.
On a somber note, the weekend featured the final game ever for Division II power Limestone. An OT thriller was won by Maryville, ending the season for the Saints. Limestone closed as a university earlier this month, so the storied program has played its last game.
TOP GAMES
Saint Anselm 9, Seton Hill 8
Defenses shined in this battle. The first quarter saw each side feeling the other out. One key aspect was that the Griffins did not have the faceoff edge they were used to all year. Mark Strunk, who came in winning 77 percent of his faceoffs, couldn’t find a rhythm as Saint Anselm specialist Quinn Gannon won the first eight faceoffs.
Without the consistent possession, Seton Hill couldn’t settle in offensively. Nevertheless, the Griffins led after the first quarter. The Hawks got two quick goals to start the second from Mark Boyle and Maverick Lyon, and from there, they managed to stay just ahead of the Griffins.
Goals were traded for the remainder of the game. A major reason was the play of Finn Granara, who made five saves in the fourth quarter alone to preserve the win for the Hawks.
Tampa 13, Wingate 9
Tampa won its 20th game to remain the only unbeaten team in Division II with a win over SAC champion Wingate. A dominant day from Michael Flores at the faceoff spot set the tone, as it felt like every big ground ball went Tampa’s way.
The Tampa defense was able to hold Wingate’s Kyle Spence, who came in with over 100 points, to just a single first-half goal. Wingate kept pace despite being light on possession and actually went into halftime tied with Tampa at 5. But the Spartans found another gear in the second half, and Wingate couldn’t keep up.
The defense continued to stifle Wingate, and even though netminder Connor Theriault didn’t have his best day, Tampa forced low-quality looks. Wingate put only 14 of its 35 shots on net.
Adelphi 21, Molloy 7
The Panthers made quick work of the Lions, who were undoubtedly still taxed from their 15-14 overtime win over Pace earlier in thie week. After shooting out to an 8-2 lead in the first half, Adelphi dumped another 10 goals into the lap of Molloy in the third quarter.
The Lions just could not match Adelphi’s constant and consistent barrage of shots, checks and passes. The end-of-game shot numbers are quite insane. Adelphi took 44 shots and scored 21 goals; Molloy took 32 shots and scored seven goals — four of which came in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided.
Adelphi’s Michael Durnin had a sock trick with six goals and an assist, while Kyle Lewis and Braden Donnellan each finished with six points apiece. Up next, Adelphi plays Saint Anselm for the *checks notes* third time this season. It’s the ultimate rubber match, as Saint Anselm took down Adelphi in the regular season, and it is the only loss on their resume, while the Panthers took down the Hawks in the NE-10 tournament in overtime.
